


Fifteen Years Can't End an Infinity

by writ_green717



Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: M/M, Original Character - Freeform, father!Connor, future!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 12:59:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5786143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writ_green717/pseuds/writ_green717
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been fifteen years after Connor made the decision to move to his mom's in Los Angeles, soon though, he ends up moving to Arizona where he spends the rest of childhood, and even college years there. Now, Connor Stevens is finally read to come home.</p><p>(or the one where Connor returns to the Adams Foster house to see Jude)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fifteen Years Can't End an Infinity

*I do not own Freeform's The Fosters*

 

Fifteen Years Can't End An Infinity

 

 

Connor Stevens shouldered the messenger bag that had sat at his feet for the entirety of his flight. His knees ached, and Connor could remember a time when everything felt alive and youthful. Now he sported a thin scruff along his jawline and a constant ache in his lower back from lifting a much too big Katherine, who raced along the gangway into the San Diego airport. She stopped halfway up to call to him with an earsplitting grin, her Curious George backpack falling with each lurch she took.

“Hold Daddy’s hand,” Connor enjoined. Katherine took her father’s extended hand, tugging him into the brightly lit gateway.  
Connor led his daughter to the luggage claim where he retrieved her floral pink suitcase along with his own orange one. He wheeled both to the shuttle station before he left Katherine with the two bags as he stepped into the street and whistled. A cab pulled into the gutter, popping the trunk.

“I can do it, Daddy!” Katherine said obstinately.

“Course you got it,” Connor nodded approvingly.

“See?” She presented her father with her suitcase haphazardly toppled into the back of the cab.

“I see. Good job, Kiddo.” Connor placed his bag in beside hers and opened the yellow aluminum door for his daughter.

Six years ago he’d finally given in to his father’s disdainful words and gotten married—a marriage that only last two years before he called it off, taking custody of Katherine during the legal battle.

His father’s words came back to him right then as he ordered the cabbie to drive to a house he hadn’t seen in nearly fifteen years.

“Will you tell me where we’re going now?” Katherine asked as she stared at the blue ocean water with wonder. Arizona was just a solid red rock compared to the color that exploded in front of her eyes.

“Home,” Connor answered.

~~~

Knocking on Adams-Foster residence, Connor clutched Katherine’s small hand in his callused one. He held his breath, puffing out his chest, deflating when Lena opened the door.

“Hey, Connor?” Lena blinked at the man apprehensively.

“Hey, Mrs. Adams-Foster,” Connor breathed.

Lena stepped back and allowed Connor and Katherine entrance into the since quiet home that used to be boisterous with conversation and squabbles of the five siblings living in the house.

“Can I get you anything? A glass of water?” Lena shuffled around the foyer, constantly clasping and unclasping her hands like she didn’t know what to do with them. Her curly black hair was tinted with the white grays that come with age and raising teenagers, but her hair maintained its natural beauty as she tamed its mass with a hairband on top of her head.

“I’m good thank you, but Katherine might want some water,” Connor replied.

Lena turned her attention to child who shielded herself behind her father’s jeaned giant legs.

“Are you Katherine?” Lena asked.

Katherine nodded.

“My name’s Lena. Would you like a glass of water or some juice?”

Katherine nodded. "Water, please." 

“I’ll be right back,” Lena answered, more to Connor than to the female look-alike of him. Connor nodded, and he bent down to be face to face with his daughter.

“Hey, Kiddo, remember those stories about Jude and stuff?”

Katherine nodded.

“That was Jude’s mom. One of them. We’re here to see Jude, Kiddo.”

Katherine smiled and began to jump up and down for her father to lift her into his arms. This was why his back hurt, definitely not from playing baseball and football with his coworkers or anything, just from lifting his bag of groceries too often.

“Here you go,” Lena handed Katherine a blue plastic cup filled half way with water.

“When is Jude going to be here?” she asked exuberantly with a wide toothed grin and a water ring around her upper lip.

“He’ll be here shortly sweetheart,” Lena reassured. “How about you watch some TV while your dad and I talk, okay?”

Lena ushered the five year old into the living room; she switched the channel from a crime drama to Dora the Explorer. That show would never die, would it? Connor vaguely remembered following the title character on her adventures, when she had more freedom at five than he had all throughout his teenage years.

“Connor,” Lena called from the kitchen.

Connor raised his head in acknowledgement as he crossed the living room and into the brightly lit kitchen. He remembered too many dinners around the very table he sat at now. He remembered Jesus reaching over him for the mashed potatoes, and Callie asking him how his day was. Distinctly, he remembered grabbing Jude’s hand under the table back when they were fourteen, and scared of the eyes of others.

Lena cleared her throat, adjusting her skirt under her.

“So Connor…how’ve you been?”

“Good. Good. Stressful, but that’s to be expected,” Connor answered. “You?”

“Fine. Stef’s been promoted to captain at the station.”

“Good for her.”

“Yeah, and Mariana’s a programmer at Apple now. She and Matt live in San Francisco.”

Connor knew they were both skirting around the same topic. Jude. According to his Facebook, Jude stayed in San Diego, working as a teacher at Anchor Beach—an English teacher like Timothy.

Connor coughed into a clenched fist. “And Jude?"

“He’s doing great. Teaching at Anchor Beach,” Lena replied. “He’s coming for dinner tonight, so if you’d like to stay, I’m sure he’d love that.”

“Yeah, okay. Katherine might like something better than my cooking or takeout,” Connor joked.

 

~~~

 

Connor sat on the couch with his daughter nestled under his arm, asleep, when the front door opened, and Jude Adams-Foster waltzed into the house he grew up in. He paused when he saw Connor’s familiar stature in the living room. He raised his eyebrows, calling out to Lena.

“Jude!” Lena called. “Connor’s here!”

“I can see that!”

“He’s staying for dinner.” Lena emerged from upstairs, a washcloth between her clasped hands. She went round the banister and into the kitchen to begin marinating the chicken they would be having.

Jude finally turned to acknowledge Connor with a silent, idle expression. Connor raised his eyebrows back at Jude, who pointed at the little girl in deep slumber under his arm.

“Katherine,” Connor whispered with a smile.

“You have a daughter?” Jude asked in disbelief.

Connor shrugged; he adjusted Katherine to lie against a pillow instead of his side, patting the cushion beside himself for Jude.

“I’ve, um, I’ve made some mistakes,” Connor admitted. “Wasn’t strong some times.”

Jude nodded. “Forgot your war paint?” he asked with a smug grin.

“Never.” Connor embraced his best friend, sinking into the familiarity of Jude. He was tall, not as tall as Connor himself, but still a skyscraper compared to the runt he was back in sixth and seventh grade.

“Why didn’t you come back?” Jude whispered into Connor’s muscled shoulder.

Connor shook his head. “I don’t know. I graduated, and…and I just wanted to get away, that I did. I went out East—to Duke, but when I came back…my dad only thought marriage was the way to go. I thought about walking out, so many times, but where could I’ve gone? I didn’t have a job, and then I had Katherine. After the divorce, I was on my own, and I thought about doing this, what I’m doing right here, every single day.”

Jude pulled Connor’s head up to see eye to eye with him. “You could’ve called.”

Connor shook his head. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I should’ve called, but I thought why not surprise you.”

Jude’s mouth cracked with a crimson grin. “Surprise me?”

“A simple surprise isn’t going to work in wooing me, Mr. Stevens. I expected roses, a limo, the works.”

“In due time, Judicorn,” Connor sighed. “I figured friends is somewhere to start.”

“Don’t call me that,” Jude huffed.

“It’s cute,” Connor smiled. After a pause he added, “you’re cute.”

“Handsome would be the better term."

Connor shook his head. “Cute. Doesn’t matter how old you are. You’re cute.”

“Kittens are cute. Ducklings are cute. I am manly as hell, and therefore handsome, not cute.” A pout formed on Jude’s lower lip.

“Fine,” Connor relented, “you’re cute,” he bent down and pressed a peck to Jude’s nose. “and handsome,” a peck to his right cheek, “and beautiful,” another peck to Jude’s left cheek, “and hot as hell.” Connor pressed a close mouthed kiss on Jude’s lips, pressing slightly before reeling back and calculating Jude’s stunned gaze.

Jude cracked a grin. “So much for starting out as friends,” he retorted.

“We never stayed just friends,” Connor scoffed, slinging his arm around Jude’s shoulders, and seating them on the couch. He poked Katherine’s side, tickling the young girl.

“Hey, Kiddo, wake up,” Connor cooed. “I want you to meet someone.”

Katherine blinked up at her father in the evening light.

Connor pulled Jude into her line of sight as he spoke, “this is Jude. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of him.”

Katherine smiled as she crawled into her father’s lap, staring up at Jude with wide eyes. She watched on as Connor pressed a quick kiss to Jude’s temple the way Connor would to kiss her goodnight.

“Is Jude going to be my new mommy?” she asked.

Jude laughed. “Definitely not your mother. I’m missing some stuff for that.”

“But he might be something like that,” Connor answered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please review this if you want!  
> You can follow me on tumblr if you'd like: theasexualbookworm  
> Or you can check out my personal website: www.paigeh.com
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
